MELBOURNE VICTORY might be missing their recognised strikers for tomorrow's blockbuster semi-final against Sydney FC but the Sky Blues would be foolish to underestimate the man most likely to play as the emergency forward, Tommy Pondeljak.

A fixture in local football for more than 15 years, Pondeljak maintains a low profile despite having an extraordinary knack of popping up in the right place at the right time.

Should Melbourne advance against their rivals, the former Sydney Olympic star will be preparing for his ninth domestic grand final, and so far he has a conversion rate of 50 per cent. It's a remarkable statistic for a player who, despite his wealth of club success in Melbourne and Sydney, remains largely anonymous.

However, it's on this type of stage that Pondeljak excels, a fact never more evident than last season when his crisp 60th-minute strike in the grand final sealed the championship for his hometown club.

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But with Melbourne in dire need of similar heroics tomorrow, Pondeljak would dearly love to step up and prove his big-game pedigree by bagging another important goal.

''You always want to score in any game but there's no doubt that it would be really something to score in a game like this,'' he said last night. ''And to score against our main rivals would be an absolute bonus. But in all reality, it doesn't really bother me who gets our goals, just so long as we get them. Ideally, we'd like to get on the scoreboard nice and early, which would make it really hard for them and would set us up for the rest of the game.''

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Pondeljak is likely to be well placed to pounce on any opportunities in Sydney's penalty box, with Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick tipped to use him as a lone striker, with support coming from Nick Ward and the Johnny Warren medallist, Carlos Hernandez.

''I'll probably take care of it to a certain extent given that I've played up there in the past, but I'm not expecting to be used as an out-and-out striker,'' Pondeljak said. ''I think we might rejig the formation a bit, and what you'll probably see is myself, Carlos, Nicky and perhaps even Marvin [Angulo] all pushing up. We generally play with an attacking midfield anyway, but I can see us all having turns at getting forward. As for exactly how that works over 90 minutes, we're probably guessing as much as you guys.''

One thing the 34-year old is sure of, however, is the strategy employed by both clubs. He's been around long enough to know that Sydney - who must win 1-0 or by a two-goal margin to advance directly to the grand final - will be throwing everything into attack.

Yet while that single-mindedness might help the Sky Blues as they charge forward, Melbourne hope that any recklessness will leave the hosts exposed at the wrong time.

''The onus is on Sydney to win the game, not us. We'd happily take a 0-0 if it meant going through,'' Pondeljak said. ''In saying that, we're not going to sit back for 90 minutes and let them come at us. They're a quality side with a lot of firepower in their ranks, but hopefully when they come forward, they'll open themselves up in defence. When we get the opportunity to counterattack, we have to make it count to the full extent.''

Meanwhile, Melbourne Heart have secured the signature of Perth Glory midfielder Wayne Srhoj from under the noses of Central Coast Mariners.

The former Socceroo was understood to have agreed terms with the Mariners but backed out of the deal at the last minute, instead signing with the start-up franchise.

Heart are also hot on the trail of Australian-born striker Richard Porta, who winds down a loan deal with Uruguayan club River Plate in May and is due to return to Italian Serie A side Siena.

Still uncapped by Australia and Uruguay, Porta is believed to be keen on joining an Australian club, and has reconfirmed his interest in representing the Socceroos. Adelaide United is also understood to have already made strong inquiries about bringing the forward to the A-League.